Tomato hybrid hnx12860544

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and theinbred tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a tomato plant of thehybrid designated HNX12860544, the tomato line FIR 128-1032 or tomatoline FIR 128-1037. Also provided are tomato plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these tomato plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid HNX12860544and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and/ortomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and/ortomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037. The tomato seed of theinvention may, in one embodiment, be provided as an essentiallyhomogeneous population of tomato seed of tomato hybrid HNX12860544and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037. Essentiallyhomogeneous populations of seed are generally free from substantialnumbers of other seed. Therefore, seed of hybrid HNX12860544 and/ortomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 may be defined, in specificembodiments, as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, includingat least about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population can beseparately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population oftomato plants designated HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032and FIR 128-1037.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a tomato plant of hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating tomato plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybridHNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 includethose traits set forth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells insuch tissue cultures may be derived, for example, from embryos,meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips,pistils, flowers, seed and stalks. Still further, the present inventionprovides tomato plants regenerated from a tissue culture of theinvention, the plants having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032and FIR 128-1037.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing tomato seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent tomato plant with a second parenttomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent tomatoplants is a plant of tomato line FIR 128-1032 or tomato line FIR128-1037. These processes may be further exemplified as processes forpreparing hybrid tomato seed or plants, wherein a first tomato plant iscrossed with a second tomato plant of a different, distinct genotype toprovide a hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of tomato lineFIR 128-1032 or tomato line FIR 128-1037. In these processes, crossingwill result in the production of seed. The seed production occursregardless of whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent tomato plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur, for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent tomato plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent tomato plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent tomato plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a tomato plant or hybrid tomatoplant.

The present invention also provides the tomato seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent tomato plant with asecond parent tomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent tomato plants is a plant of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and/ortomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037. In one embodiment of theinvention, tomato seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid tomato seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridtomato plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid tomato plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato linesFIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomatolines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 with a second plant; and (b) crossing theprogeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, themethod may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of asubsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generationwith itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid HNX12860544and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037. The plant derivedfrom hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR128-1037 may be an inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossingsteps may be defined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce theinbred line. In the method, it may be desirable to select particularplants resulting from step (c) for continued crossing according to steps(b) and (c). By selecting plants having one or more desirable traits, aplant derived from hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032and FIR 128-1037 is obtained which possesses some of the desirabletraits of the line/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of tomatohybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collectingtomatoes from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement oftomato hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR128-1037 is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to referto the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of whichsequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a tomato plant,or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus representsthe genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides tomato plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the tomato plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid HNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 could be identified by any of the many wellknown techniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence LengthPolymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly AmplifiedPolymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF),Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary PrimedPolymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment LengthPolymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporated herein byreference in its entirety), and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs)(Wang et al., 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by tomato plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a tomato plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second tomato plant, preferably, another, distincttomato plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a tomatoplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a plant of an hybridtomato that exhibits a combination of traits comprising a pink tomato F1hybrid with resistance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus, with acolorless epidermis, with green shoulders on the fruit, having a goodtaste and a round to flattened-round fruit shape, with 4 to 6 flowersper cluster, and having more than 6 locules per fruit. In certainembodiments, the combination of traits may be defined as controlled bygenetic means for the expression of the combination of traits found intomato hybrid HNX12860544.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a method ofdetermining the genotype of a plant of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and/ortomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 comprising detecting in thegenome of the plant at least a first polymorphism. The method may, incertain embodiments, comprise detecting a plurality of polymorphisms inthe genome of the plant. The method may further comprise storing theresults of the step of detecting the plurality of polymorphisms on acomputer readable medium. The invention further provides a computerreadable medium produced by such a method.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of tomato hybrid HNX12860544, tomato line FIR128-1032 and tomato line FIR 128-1037. The hybrid HNX12860544 isproduced by the cross of parent lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037. Theparent lines show uniformity and stability within the limits ofenvironmental influence. By crossing the parent lines, uniform seedhybrid HNX12860544 can be obtained.

The development of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and its parent lines can besummarized as follows.

A. Origin And Breeding History of Tomato Hybrid HNX12860544

The parents of hybrid HNX12860544 are FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037.These parents were created as follows:

Pedigree of Pedigree of female line male line Year FIR 128-1032 NewCherry F1 Hybrid FIR 128-1037 1 Japanese germplasm 1 F2 2 F3 FIR128-1004 × FDR 16-2114 2 F4 BC1 3 F5 BC1F2 3 BC1F3 4 F6 BC1F4 4 F7 F1combination made BC1F5 5 F8 Performance trials BC1F6 6-8 Performance andfield trials BC1F7

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid therefrom. Asmall percentage of variants can occur within commercially acceptablelimits for almost any characteristic during the course of repeatedmultiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological And Morphological Characteristics of Tomato HybridHNX12860544, Tomato Line FIR 128-1032 And Tomato Line FIR 128-1037

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Hybrid HNX12860544 CHARACTERISTIC HNX 12860544 1 Seedling Anthocyanin in hypocotylof 2-15 cm seedling Present (Montfavet H 63.4) Habit of 3-4 week oldseedling Normal 2 Mature Plant Height 161.8 cm Growth type Indeterminate(Marmande VR, Saint-Pierre, San Marzano 2) Form Normal Size of canopy(compared to others of similar Medium type) Habit Semi-erect Stem:anthocyanin coloration of upper third Absent or very weak Onlyindeterminate growth type varieties: Stem: 83.5 cm length of internode(between 1^(st) and 4^(th) inflorescence) 3 Stem Branching Profuse (UC82) Branching at cotyledon or first leafy node Present Number of nodesbetween first inflorescence 7 to 10 Number of nodes between early 1 to4  (1^(st) to 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 3^(rd)) inflorescences Number of nodesbetween later developing 1 to 4  inflorescences Pubescence on youngerstems Moderately hairy 4 Leaf Type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) Tomato Morphology (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Tomatotype leave inflorescence) deeply divided Margins of major leaflets(mature leaf beneath Shallowly toothed the 3^(rd) inflorescence) orscalloped Marginal rolling or wiltiness (mature leaf Slight beneath the3^(rd) inflorescence) Onset of leaflet rolling (mature leaf beneath theMid season 3^(rd) inflorescence) Surface of major leaflets (mature leafbeneath Normal the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Pubescence (mature leaf beneaththe 3^(rd) Normal inflorescence) Attitude (in middle third of plant)Semi-drooping (Montfavet H 63.5) Length 12.2 cm Width 6.1 cm Division ofblade Bipinnate (Lukullus, Saint-Pierre) Size of leaflets (in middle ofleaf) Medium (Marmande VR, Royesta) Intensity of green color Medium(Lucy) Glossiness (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR)Blistering (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Size ofblisters (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Attitude ofpetiole of leaflet in relation to main Horizontal (Sonatine) axis (inmiddle third of plant) Type (2^(nd) and 3^(rd) truss) Mainly uniparous(Dynamo) 5 Inflorescence Type (make observations on the 3^(rd) Simpleinflorescence) Average number of flowers in inflorescence 5.2  (makeobservations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Leafy or “running”inflorescence (make Occasional observations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence)6 Flower Calyx Normal (lobes awl shaped) Calyx-lobes Approx. equalingcorolla Corolla color Yellow Style pubescence Absent or very scarce(Campbell 1327) Anthers All fused into tube Fasciation (1^(st) flower of2^(nd) or 3^(rd) inflorescence) Absent (Monalbo, Moneymaker) ColorYellow (Marmande VR) 7 Fruit Typical shape in longitudinal sectionSlightly flattened, (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) circularShape of transverse/cross section Round (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) cluster) Shape of stem end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) Indented Shape of blossom end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)Flat cluster) (Montfavet H 63.4, Montfavet H 63.5) Shape of blossom scarMedium (Alphamech, Apla, Carmello, Floradade) Shape of pistil scar(3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Stellate Peduncle: abscissionlayer (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Present (pedicellate) cluster)(Montfavet H 63.5, Roma) Only for varieties with abscission layers: 10mm Peduncle: length (from abscission layer to calyx) Ribbing at peduncleend Medium (Montfavet H 63.4, Montfavet H 63.5) Depression at peduncleend Weak (Futuria, Melody) Size of stem/peduncle scar 14.8 mm Point ofdetachment of fruit at harvest At pedicel joint (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd)or 3^(rd) cluster) Length of dedicel (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) 10 mm Length of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)51.9 mm cluster) Diameter of fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) 64 mm Weight of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)135 grams cluster) Size Tomato Ratio length/diameter  83% Core PresentSize of core in cross section 48.4 mm (in relation to total diameter)Number of locules More than 6 (Marmande VR) Surface Smooth Base color(mature-green stage) Light green (Lanai, VF 145-F5) Pattern(mature-green stage) Green-shouldered Green shoulder (before maturity)Present (Daniela, Montfavet H 63.5) Shoulder color if different frombase Dark green Extent of green shoulder (before maturity) Medium(Erlidor, Foxy, Montfavet H 63.5) Intensity of green color of shoulderMedium (before maturity) (Montfavet H 63.5) Intensity of green color offruit Light (Capello, (before maturity) Duranto, Trust) Color atmaturity (full-ripe) Pink (House Momotaro) Color of flesh at maturity(full-ripe) Pink (Regina) Flesh color Uniform Locular gel color oftable-ripe fruit Red Firmness Soft (Trend) Shelf life Medium (Durinta)Time of maturity medium Ripening Blossom-to-stem end Ripening UniformityEpidermis color Colorless Epidermis Normal Epidermis texture AverageThickness of pericarp 5.9 mm 8 Resistance to Fruit Disorder Blossom endrot Intermediately susceptible Blotchy ripening Resistant - few symptomsBursting Moderately susceptible Catface Moderately resistant Cracking,concentric Moderately susceptible Cracking, radial Moderately resistantGraywall Resistant - few symptoms Zippering Moderately resistant 9Disease and Pest Reactions Cracking, concentric Moderately susceptibleTomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Present (Anastasia, Mohawk, TY20) TomatoMosaic Virus - Strain 0 Present (Moback, Mocimor, Moperou) Tomato MosaicVirus - Strain 1 Present (Mocimor, Moperou) Tomato Mosaic Virus - Strain2 Present (Mocimor, Moperou) Fusarium wilt, Race 1 (Fusarium oxysoprumf. Highly resistant lycopersici) (Motelle, Walter) Fusarium wilt, Race 2(Fusarium oxysoprum f. Highly resistant lycopersici) Gray leaf spot(Stemphylium spp.) Highly resistant Cladosporum fulvum Group A Present(Angela, Estrella, Sonatine, Sonato, Vemone) Cladosporum fulvum Group BPresent (Angela, Estrella, Sonatine, Sonato, Vemone) Cladosporum fulvumGroup C Present (Angela, Estrella, Sonatine) Cladosporum fulvum Group DPresent (Estrella, Sonatine, Vemone) Cladosporum fulvum Group E Present(Sonatine) Verticillium wilt, Race 1 (V. albo-atrum) Highly resistant 10Chemistry and Composition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.48  Titratableacidity, as % citric 0.486 Total solids (dry matter, seeds and skin 6.71% removed) Soluble solids as °Brix 5.7  11 Phenology Fruitingseason Medium (Westover) Relative maturity in areas tested Medium earlyAdaptation: culture Greenhouse Adaptation: principle use(s) Fresh marketAdaptation: machine harvest Not adapted Adaptation: regions to whichadaptation has Japan/Korea been demonstrated *These are typical values.Values may vary due to environment. Other values that are substantiallyequivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Line FIR128-1032 CHARACTERISTIC FIR 128-1032 1 Seedling Anthocyanin in hypocotylof 2-15 cm seedling Present (Montfavet H 63.4) Habit of 3-4 week oldseedling Normal 2 Mature Plant Height 163.9 cm Growth type Indeterminate(Marmande VR, Saint-Pierre, San Marzano 2) Form Normal Size of canopy(compared to others of similar Medium type) Habit Semi-erect Stem:anthocyanin coloration of upper third Absent or very weak Onlyindeterminate growth type varieties: Stem: 80.8 cm length of internode(between 1^(st) and 4^(th) inflorescence) 3 Stem Branching Profuse (UC82) Branching at cotyledon or first leafy node Present Number of nodesbetween first inflorescence 7 to 10 Number of nodes between early 1 to4  (1^(st) to 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 3^(rd)) inflorescences Number of nodesbetween later developing 1 to 4  inflorescences Pubescence on youngerstems Moderately hairy 4 Leaf Type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) Tomato Morphology (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Tomatotype leaves inflorescence) deeply divided Margins of major leaflets(mature leaf beneath Shallowly toothed or the 3^(rd) inflorescence)scalloped Marginal rolling or wiltiness (mature leaf Slight beneath the3^(rd) inflorescence) Onset of leaflet rolling (mature leaf beneath theMid season 3^(rd) inflorescence) Surface of major leaflets (mature leafbeneath Normal the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Pubescence (mature leaf beneaththe 3^(rd) Normal inflorescence) Attitude (in middle third of plant)Semi-drooping (Montfavet H 63.5) Length 13.3 cm Width 5.9 cm Division ofblade Bipinnate (Lukullus, Saint-Pierre) Size of leaflets (in middle ofleaf) Medium (Marmande VR, Royesta) Intensity of green color Medium(Lucy) Glossiness (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR)Blistering (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Size ofblisters (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Attitude ofpetiole of leaflet in relation to main Horizontal (Sonatine) axis (inmiddle third of plant) Type (2^(nd) and 3^(rd) truss) Mainly uniparous(Dynamo) 5 Inflorescence Type (make observations on the 3^(rd) Simpleinflorescence) Average number of flowers in inflorescence 6.5  (makeobservations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Leafy or “running”inflorescence Occasional (make observations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence)6 Flower Calyx Normal (lobes awl shaped) Calyx-lobes Approx. equalingcorolla Corolla color Yellow Style pubescence Absent or very scarce(Campbell 1327) Anthers All fused into tube Fasciation (1^(st) flower of2^(nd) or 3^(rd) inflorescence) Absent (Monalbo, Moneymaker) ColorYellow (Marmande VR) 7 Fruit Typical shape in longitudinal sectionElliptic (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape oftransverse/cross section Round (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) Shape of stem end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster)Indented Shape of blossom end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Flatcluster) (Montfavet H 63.4, Montfavet H 63.5) Shape of blossom scarMedium (Alphamech, Apla, Carmello, Floradade) Shape of pistil scar(3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Stellate Peduncle: abscissionlayer (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Present (pedicellate) cluster)(Montfavet H 63.5, Roma) Only for varieties with abscission layers: 9.7mm Peduncle: length (from abscission layer to calyx) Ribbing at peduncleend Strong (Campbell 1327, Carmello, Count) Depression at peduncle endWeak (Futuria, Melody) Size of stem/peduncle scar 11.8 mm Point ofdetachment of fruit at harvest At pedicel joint (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd)or 3^(rd) cluster) Length of dedicel (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) 9.7 mm Length of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)51.2 mm cluster) Diameter of fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) 60.6 mm Weight of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) 130.7 grams cluster) Size Tomato Ratio length/diameter  85% CorePresent Size of core in cross section 46 mm (in relation to totaldiameter) Number of locules 4, 5 or 6 (Raïssa, Tradiro) Surface SmoothBase color (mature-green stage) Light green (Lanai, VF 145-F5) Pattern(mature-green stage) Green-shouldered Green shoulder (before maturity)Present (Daniela, Montfavet H 63.5) Shoulder color if different frombase Dark green Extent of green shoulder (before maturity) Medium(Erlidor, Foxy, Montfavet H 63.5) Intensity of green color of shoulderMedium (before maturity) (Montfavet H 63.5) Intensity of green color offruit Light (Capello, (before maturity) Duranto, Trust) Color atmaturity (full-ripe) Pink (House Momotaro) Color of flesh at maturity(full-ripe) Pink (Regina) Flesh color Uniform Locular gel color oftable-ripe fruit Green Firmness Soft (Trend) Shelf life Medium (Durinta)Time of maturity Medium Ripening Blossom-to-stem end Ripening UniformityEpidermis color Colorless Epidermis Normal Epidermis texture AverageThickness of pericarp 6.2 mm 8 Resistance to Fruit Disorder Blossom endrot Moderately susceptible Blotchy ripening Resistant - few symptomsBursting Intermediately susceptible Catface Resistant - few symptoms innumber and size Cracking, concentric Moderately susceptible Cracking,radial Intermediately susceptible Graywall Resistant - few symptomsZippering Moderately susceptible 9 Disease and Pest Reactions Cracking,concentric Moderately susceptible Fusarium wilt, Race 1 (Fusariumoxysoprum f. Highly resistant lycopersici) (Motelle, Walter) Fusariumwilt, Race 2 (Fusarium oxysoprum f. Highly resistant lycopersici) Grayleaf spot (Stemphylium spp.) Highly resistant (Motelle) Verticilliumwilt, Race 1 (V. albo-atrum) Highly resistant 10 Chemistry andComposition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.56  Titratable acidity, as % citric0.445 Total solids (dry matter, seedsand skin  5.68% removed) Solublesolids as °Brix 4.92  11 Phenology Fruiting season Medium (Westover)Relative maturity in areas tested Medium early Adaptation: cultureGreenhouse Adaptation: principle use(s) Fresh Market Adaptation: machineharvest not adapted Adaptation: regions to which adaptation hasJapan/Korea been demonstrated *These are typical values. Values may varydue to environment. Other values that are substantially equivalent arealso within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Line FIR128-1037 CHARACTERISTIC FIR 128-1037 1 Seedling Anthocyanin in hypocotylof 2-15 cm seedling Present (Montfavet H 63.4) Habit of 3-4 week oldseedling Normal 2 Mature Plant Height 148.9 cm Growth type Indeterminate(Marmande VR, Saint-Pierre, San Marzano 2) Form Normal Size of canopy(compared to others of similar Medium type) Habit Semi-erect Stem:anthocyanin coloration of upper third Absent or very weak Onlyindeterminate growth type varieties: Stem: 76.9 cm length of internode(between 1^(st) and 4^(th) inflorescence) 3 Stem Branching Profuse (UC82) Branching at cotyledon or first leafy node Present Number of nodesbetween first inflorescence 7 to 10 Number of nodes between early 1 to4  (1^(st) to 2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 3^(rd)) inflorescences Number of nodesbetween later developing 1 to 4  inflorescences Pubescence on youngerstems Moderately hairy 4 Leaf Type (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd)inflorescence) Tomato Morphology (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) Tomatotype leaves inflorescence) deeply divided Margins of major leaflets(mature leaf beneath Shallowly toothed or the 3^(rd) inflorescence)scalloped Marginal rolling or wiltiness (mature leaf Slight beneath the3^(rd) inflorescence) Onset of leaflet rolling (mature leaf beneath theMid season 3^(rd) inflorescence) Surface of major leaflets (mature leafbeneath Normal the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Pubescence (mature leaf beneaththe 3^(rd) Normal inflorescence) Attitude (in middle third of plant)Semi-drooping (Montfavet H 63.5) Length 12 cm Width 6.2 cm Division ofblade Bipinnate (Lukullus, Saint-Pierre) Size of leaflets (in middle ofleaf) Medium (Marmande VR, Royesta) Intensity of green color Medium(Lucy) Glossiness (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR)Blistering (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Size ofblisters (in middle third of plant) Medium (Marmande VR) Attitude ofpetiole of leaflet in relation to main Horizontal (Sonatine) axis (inmiddle third of plant) Type (2^(nd) and 3^(rd) truss) Mainly uniparous )(Dynamo 5 Inflorescence Type (make observations on the 3^(rd) Simpleinflorescence) Average number of flowers in inflorescence 5.3  (makeobservations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Leafy or “running”inflorescence (make Occasional observations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence)6 Flower Calyx Normal (lobes awl shaped) Calyx-lobes Approx. equalingcorolla Corolla color Yellow Style pubescence Absent or very scarce(Campbell 1327) Anthers All fused into tube Fasciation (1^(st) flower of2^(nd) or 3^(rd) inflorescence) Absent (Monalbo, Moneymaker) ColorYellow (Marmande VR) 7 Fruit Typical shape in longitudinal sectionSlightly flattened to (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster)circular Shape of transverse/cross section Round (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd)or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape of stem end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) Indented Shape of blossom end (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)Flat cluster) (Montfavet H 63.4, Montfavet H 63.5) Shape of blossom scarMedium (Alphamech, Apla, Carmello, Floradade) Shape of pistil scar(3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Stellate Peduncle: abscissionlayer (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) Present (pedicellate) cluster)(Montfavet H 63.5, Roma) Only for varieties with abscission layers: 8.8mm Peduncle: length (from abscission layer to calyx) Ribbing at peduncleend Strong (Campbell 1327, Carmello, Count) Depression at peduncle endWeak (Futuria, Melody) Size of stem/peduncle scar 14.6 mm Point ofdetachment of fruit at harvest At pedicel joint (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd)or 3^(rd) cluster) Length of dedicel (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) 8.8 mm Length of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)49.1 mm cluster) Diameter of fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) 59.9 mm Weight of mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or3^(rd) 128.4 grams cluster) Size Tomato Ratio length/diameter  82% CorePresent Size of core in cross section 46.2 mm (in relation to totaldiameter) Number of locules More than 6 (Marmande VR) Surface SmoothBase color (mature-green stage) Light green (Lanai, VF 145-F5) Pattern(mature-green stage) Uniform green Green shoulder (before maturity)Absent (Felicia, Rio Grande, Trust) Color at maturity (full-ripe) Pink(House Momotaro) Color of flesh at maturity (full-ripe) Pink (Regina)Flesh color Uniform Locular gel color of table-ripe fruit Red FirmnessMedium (Cristina) Shelf life Medium (Durinta) Time of maturity MediumRipening Blossom-to-stem end Ripening Uniformity Epidermis colorColorless Epidermis Normal Epidermis texture Average Thickness ofpericarp 5.7 mm 8 Resistance to Fruit Disorder Blossom end rotIntermediately susceptible Blotchy ripening Resistant - few symptomsBursting Moderately resistant Catface Moderately resistant Cracking,concentric Moderately resistant Cracking, radial Resistant - fewsymptoms in number and size Graywall Resistant - few symptoms ZipperingIntermediately susceptible 9 Disease and Pest Reactions Cracking,concentric Moderately resistant Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Present(Anastasia, Mohawk, TY20) Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 0 Present(Mobaci, Mocimor, Moperou) Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 1 Present(Mocimor, Moperou) Tomato mosaic virus - Strain 2 Present (Mobaci,Mocimor) Fusarium wilt, Race 1 (Fusarium oxysoprum f. Highly resistant,lycopersici) (Motelle Walter) Fusarium wilt, Race 2 (Fusarium oxysoprumf. Highly resistant lycopersici) Gray leaf spot (Stemphylium spp.)Highly resistant (Motelle) Verticillium wilt, Race 1 (V. albo-atrum)Highly resistant 10 Chemistry and Composition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH4.88  Titratable acidity, as % citric 0.289 Total solids (dry matter,seeds and skin  5.45% removed) Soluble solids as °Brix 4.5  11 PhenologyFruiting season Short, concentrated (VF 145) Relative maturity in areastested Medium early Adaptation: culture Greenhouse Adaptation: principleuse(s) Fresh Market Adaptation: machine harvest not adapted Adaptation:regions to which adaptation has Japan/Korea been demonstrated *These aretypical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other values thatare substantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

C. Breeding Tomato Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof tomato hybrid HNX12860544 involving crossing tomato lines FIR128-1032 and FIR 128-1037. Alternatively, in other embodiments of theinvention, hybrid HNX12860544, line FIR 128-1032, or line FIR 128-1037may be crossed with itself or with any second plant. Such methods can beused for propagation of hybrid HNX12860544 and/or the tomato lines FIR128-1032 and FIR 128-1037, or can be used to produce plants that arederived from hybrid HNX12860544 and/or the tomato lines FIR 128-1032 andFIR 128-1037. Plants derived from hybrid HNX12860544 and/or the tomatolines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 may be used, in certain embodiments,for the development of new tomato varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid HNX12860544 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withHNX12860544 and/or tomato lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037 for thepurpose of developing novel tomato lines, it will typically be preferredto choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or moreselected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions.Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and tasteare other examples of traits that may be incorporated into new lines oftomato plants developed by this invention.

D. Performance Characteristics

As described above, hybrid HNX12860544 exhibits desirable agronomictraits. The performance characteristics of HNX12860544 were the subjectof an objective analysis of the performance traits relative to othervarieties. The results of the analysis are presented below.

TABLE 4 Performance Characteristics For HNX12860544, FIR 128-1032, FIR128-1037 and a Comparison Variety FIR FIR Super Trait HNX12860544128-1032 128-1037 Momotaro Shoulder color Green Green Uniform greenGreen Fruit Size Medium Medium Medium Large large large large Length ofMedium Medium Medium Medium internodes Short Short Tomato YellowResistant Susceptible Resistant Susceptible Leaf Curl Virus ResistanceLeaf Mold Resistant Resistant Susceptible Susceptible Resistance

E. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those tomato plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentaltomato plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental tomato plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a tomato plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny tomato plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of tomato the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of tomato plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

F. Plants Derived By Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., 1985). Moreover, recent technological advances in vectorsfor Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangementof genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate theconstruction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide codinggenes. The vectors described have convenient multi-linker regionsflanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expressionof inserted polypeptide coding genes. Additionally, Agrobacteriumcontaining both armed and disarmed Ti genes can be used fortransformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., 1985; Omirulleh et al., 1993; Fromm et al., 1986;Uchimiya et al., 1986; Marcotte et al., 1988). Transformation of plantsand expression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(1994), and Ellul et al. (2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., 1985), including in monocots(see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., 1990; Terada and Shimamoto, 1990); atandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35Spromoter (P-e35S); the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., 1988), theoctopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., 1989); and the figwort mosaicvirus (P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and anenhanced version of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promotersequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the cauliflower mosaic virus19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a commelina yellowmottle virus promoter; and other plant DNA virus promoters known toexpress in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., 1988), (2)light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter, Kuhlemeier et al., 1989; maize rbcSpromoter, Schaffner and Sheen, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-binding proteinpromoter, Simpson et al., 1985), (3) hormones, such as abscisic acid(Marcotte et al., 1989), (4) wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al.,1989); or (5) chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, orSafener. It may also be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters(e.g., Roshal et al., 1987; Schernthaner et al., 1988; Bustos et al.,1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a tomato plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a tomato plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., 1991). The RNA could also be a catalytic RNA molecule (i.e., aribozyme) engineered to cleave a desired endogenous mRNA product (seefor example, Gibson and Shillito, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces aprotein or mRNA which expresses a phenotype or morphology change ofinterest is useful for the practice of the present invention.

G. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a tomatovariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a tomato plant by transformation.

H. Deposit Information

A deposit of tomato hybrid HNX12860544 and inbred parent lines FIR128-1032 and FIR 128-1037, disclosed above and recited in the claims,has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The deposits were made onMar. 31, 2009. The accession numbers for those deposited seeds of tomatohybrid HNX12860544 and inbred parent lines FIR 128-1032 and FIR 128-1037are ATCC Accession Number PTA-9929, ATCC Accession Number PTA-9930, andATCC Accession Number PTA-9931, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent,all restrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

REFERENCES

The following references, to the extent that they provide exemplaryprocedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein, arespecifically incorporated herein by reference:

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1. A tomato plant of hybrid HNX12860544, a sample of seed of said hybridhaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-9929.
 2. A seed oftomato hybrid HNX12860544, a sample of seed of said hybrid having beendeposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-9929. 3-6. (canceled)
 7. Aplant part of the plant of claim
 1. 8. The plant part of claim 7,further defined as a leaf, an ovule, pollen, a fruit, or a cell. 9-10.(canceled)
 11. A tomato plant having all the physiological andmorphological characteristics of the tomato plant of claim
 1. 12. Atissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant of claim
 1. 13. Thetissue culture according to claim 12, comprising cells or protoplastsfrom a plant part selected from the group consisting of embryos,meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips,pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 14. A tomato plant regenerated from thetissue culture of claim 13, wherein the plant comprises all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of tomato hybridHNX12860544.
 15. A method of vegetatively propagating the plant of claim1 comprising the steps of: (a) collecting tissue capable of beingpropagated from the plant according to claim 1; (b) cultivating saidtissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and (c) rooting said proliferatedshoots to obtain rooted plantlets.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising growing at least a first plant from said rooted plantlets.17. A method of introducing a desired trait into a tomato hybridHNX12860544 comprising: (a) introducing at least a first heritable traitinto at least one tomato line selected from the group consisting of lineFIR 128-1032 and line FIR 128-1037 to produce a plant of the firstinbred tomato line that heritably carries the trait, wherein theheritable trait is introduced into said first tomato line bybackcrossing and wherein representative samples of seed of tomato lineFIR 128-1032 and line FIR 128-1037 have been deposited under ATCCAccession Number PTA-9930, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-9931,respectively; and (b) crossing a plant of the first inbred tomato linethat heritably carries the trait with a plant of a different lineselected from said group consisting of FIR 128-1032 and line FIR128-1037 to produce a plant of hybrid HNX12860544 comprising theheritable trait.
 18. A tomato plant produced by the method of claim 17wherein the plant comprises the desired trait and otherwise comprisesessentially all of the morphological and phenotypic traits of hybridHNX12860544, a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-9929.
 19. A method of producing a plantcomprising an added trait, the method comprising introducing a transgeneconferring the trait into a plant of hybrid HNX12860544, a sample ofseed of said hybrid having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-9929.
 20. A plant produced by the method of claim
 19. 21. A methodof determining the genotype of the plant of claim 1 comprising obtaininga sample of nucleic acids from said plant and detecting in said nucleicacids a plurality of polymorphisms, thereby determining the genotype ofthe plant.
 22. (canceled)
 23. The plant of claim 1, further comprising atransgene.
 24. The plant of claim 23, wherein the transgene confers atrait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicidetolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance,modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 25. A plant oftomato hybrid HNX12860544, further comprising a single locus conversion,a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited under ATCCAccession Number PTA-9929, wherein said plant otherwise comprisesessentially all of the morphological and physiological characteristicsof tomato hybrid HNX12860544.
 26. The plant of claim 25, wherein thesingle locus conversion confers a trait selected from the groupconsisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance,pest resistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism,environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism andmodified protein metabolism.
 27. A method for producing a seed of aplant derived from hybrid HNX12860544 comprising the steps of: (a)crossing a tomato plant of hybrid line HNX12860541 with itself or asecond tomato plant; a sample of seed of said hybrid having beendeposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-9929; and (b) allowing seed ofa hybrid HNX 12860544 derived tomato plant to form.
 28. The method ofclaim 27, further comprising the steps of: (c) selfing a plant grownfrom said hybrid HNX12860544 derived tomato seed to yield additionalhybrid HNX12860544 derived tomato seed; (d) growing said additionalhybrid HNX12860544 derived tomato seed of step (c) to yield additionalhybrid HNX12860544 derived tomato plants; and (e) repeating the selfingand growing steps of (c) and (d) to generate at least a first furtherhybrid HNX12860541 derived tomato plant.
 29. The method of claim 27,wherein the second tomato plant is of an inbred tomato line. 30.(canceled)
 31. The method of claim 28, further comprising: (f) crossingthe further hybrid HNX1286054 derived tomato plant with a differenttomato plant to produce seed of a hybrid progeny plant. 32-35.(canceled)
 36. A method of producing a tomato seed comprising crossingthe plant of claim 1 with itself or a second tomato plant and allowingseed to form.
 37. A method of producing a tomato fruit comprising: (a)obtaining the plant according to claim 1, wherein the plant has beencultivated to maturity; and (b) collecting a tomato from the plant.